[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    COMPENSATION FOR SURVIVAL FOR VICTIMS OF THE GULF COAST DISASTER

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, everyone knows that we are 
in the grips of trying to overcome the devastation of the gulf and to 
help the people of that region. That is why I want to applaud the 
serious work that was done at the White House to establish the 
independent framework that I called for 2 weeks ago, which was to 
ensure that the impacted communities--restaurants, fishermen, 
shrimpers, oyster persons, and people with small restaurants and large 
restaurants--in the gulf region, from Florida to Texas, have the 
ability to secure the kind of compensation needed now to make their 
bills.
  This is not compensation for the injury as much as it is compensation 
to survive. For anyone to suggest that this was a shakedown is a 
misinterpretation and a distortion to the American people.
  What do they want the government to do? They want the government to 
be responsive, to make sure that we work on their behalf and to make 
sure that people whose lights are being turned off can pay their bills.
  Good news. We can now get claims and can help the people in the gulf 
region.

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